St. John's Block

St. John’s Block is located in downtown Grand Forks just west of the Red River of the North. Being in the middle of downtown it is surrounded by restaurants, art spaces, bars, shops, town square, and various other forms of entertainment depending on the time of year. Right across the Sorlie Memorial Bridge is the sister city, East Grand Forks, with more restaurant, bar, and entertainment options. This building is a part of the downtown commercial district that has many historical buildings in great shape after being rehabilitated and preserved after the flood of 1997. The city of Grand Forks has many historical buildings, but the community wants them for a better use than to be looked at, they want them to be enjoyed by both other community members and any visitors.

Downtown Grand Forks is a Historic Place in itself; in 2005 the 80 acres of downtown was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Downtown can date back to 1872 when settlers first made claims on the Red River followed by the town being platted in 1875. The Saint Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba railway made its way to the center of downtown in 1880 which opened up even more routes for transportation and five years later, in 1885, a branch of the Northern Pacific Railway made it to Grand Forks. A few years after the railroads connected the town to others is when H. H. St. John started and completed the building that is still used today. The building has stood tall since then; it has made it through the flood and fire of 1997 and countless harsh winters and heated summers.

St. John’s Block has been classified as both private and public property because of the apartments above with the office and retail spaces below. Over the years, the building has had commercial, government, industrial, and transportation uses for the city. In the past, St. John’s block housed a series of banks, office spaces, and a meeting space for the elite Pioneer Club. There have been a few different ventures that did not succeed for the building, one of the most recent being an idea for a boutique hotel. As of 2021, St. John’s Block has 26 apartments available for rent ranging from studio spaces to three bedrooms. The main floor has multiple private office spaces and below that there is a popular indoor cycling studio. In the past, the retail spaces below have been dance studios, art galleries, and small locally owned shops.

The building itself can be seen as a bright reddish brick that catches your eye as you pass by. The architecture of St. John’s Block is typical of the Richardsonian Romanesque style that was popular from 1880 to 1900. These buildings are solid masonry stone or brick work with intricate sculpted shapes and individuality. The doorways and windows are usually surrounded with bigger stones, fancy patterns, or columns to emphasize them. This type or architecture is typically considered to be an art and these buildings are beautiful historical pieces to be viewed with respect. The majority of the historical buildings in the downtown area are stone and brick, this was made possible because of the clay deposits which made superior brick for beautiful buildings. St. John’s Block is one of the tallest 19th century remaining in downtown Grand Forks, there were many other buildings similar to this style, but they did not survive the flood or the acts of time.

St. John's Block is a one-of-a-kind building with its changing history and unique apartments. The community has a beautiful building that they utilize very well for living, working, and retail spaces. This building has been standing tall for the last 130 years and will continue to be an image of solidity for the Grand Forks community. The newest renovation of apartments are leased out and will be occupied beginning in June 2021. As of Spring 2021, there is only one of the retail spaces being used as The Pedal cycling studio.

Bjorke, C. (2014, June 13). Owner of St. John’s block planning boutique lodging in downtown Grand Forks. Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved from https://www.grandforksherald.com/3276922-owner-st-johns-block-planning-boutique-lodging-downtown-grand-forks

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Kurtz, A., & Bowen, J. (2020, October 25). Grand Forks redevelopment proposals would transform Townhouse, Memorial Stadium, St. John’s Block. Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved from https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/government-and-politics/6730624-Grand-Forks-redevelopment-proposals-would-transform-Townhouse-Memorial-Stadium-St.-John’s-Block

Martens, S., & Ramsay, R. (2012). Downtown Commercial District. Retrieved April 15, 2021, from Society of Architectural Historians: SAH Archepedia website: https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/ND-01-GF2

Martens, S., & Ramsay, R. (2012). St. John’s Block. Retrieved April 15, 2021, from Society of Architectural Historians: SAH Archepedia website: https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/ND-01-GF6

National Register of Historic Places Inventory- Nomination Form. (1982). Retrieved from https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/64000472_text

O’Leary, P. (2018). Downtown Grand Forks Historic District. Retrieved from https://learn-us-east-1-prod-fleet01-xythos.content.Blackboardcdn.com/Blackboard.learn.xythos.prod/57fced8e8d3c5/29500669?X-Blackboard-Expiration=1618898400000&X-Blackboard-Signature=PhRGolCD0EqhchH%2FI7pNDvcDHiNbWAQGD3pnCqziBiU%3D&X-Blackboard-Client-Id=